It's my favourite meal of the day, and not just because I only have it on weekends. I love going for brunch, even if it means standing in line for 20 minutes to be seated. I do wish I could write a post like this about vegan brunches in North Vancouver, but I have yet to find a place that serves vegan pancakes, waffles, or scrambled tofu. (I did write a post about some awesome raw crepes though.) Fortunately, there are several places in the Vancouver area that serve up vegan brunch.

Bandidas Taquiera

Bandidas is the place I have gone most often for brunch, and I always get the Lester's Benny made vegan. Sometimes I think I want to try something else, but this is so good that I can never resist ordering it yet again. Lester's Benny consists of two cornbread muffins topped with squash and tofu (in place of eggs), yams and onion, vegan cheese (subbed in for feta), smothered in roasted tomato salsa or salsa verde (I like one of each), with a side of beans. Their potatoes are equally good and are accented by entire cloves of roasted garlic. I had the side of veggie bacon with this, but I really didn't need it -- the meal is amazing without adding any fake meats, and it is already a ton of food.

Bandidas is located on Commercial Drive and serves brunch daily until 3:00.

Rhizome Cafe

Rhizome is in the Mount Pleasant area and serves brunch on weekends only. It a very welcoming and diverse cafe with a deep sense of community and the arts. People are encouraged to sit for as long as they would like and work on knitting or crafts or participate in a variety of events. One thing I like about Rhizome is that they always have a meal that is available by donation (usually a lentil stew) which ensures that anyone can afford to eat there.

The meal shown is the kamut-banana pancakes, which were flavoured with lemon and sweetened with maple syrup. Sadly, the owners are planning to move to Toronto and are currently looking for a buyer, so fingers crossed that this tasty breakfast will remain available.

Sejuiced

This is such a healthy and wholesome meal. I am always impressed by the large amount of fresh produce that accompanies the tofu on the plate. The dressing is apple ginger. I could taste coconut milk, which I love, in their scrambled tofu. Another highlight was the vegan garlic bread.

Being in a juice bar, I had a Morning Glory juice with this (lime, orange, carrot).

Sejuiced is in Kitsilano and serves breakfast on weekdays until 11:00 and on weekends until 3:00.

Slickity Jim's Chat 'n' Chew

Slickity Jim's should win an award for coming up with the name, "We Don't Need No Eggs and Bacon". I get Pink Floyd stuck in my head every time I read that. They put a different spin on their scrambled tofu by seasoning it with ginger, cilantro, and sesame oil. Their potatoes were also really good with dill and just the right amount of salt. You do need to tell them you are vegan or else the toast will arrive buttered.

They are on Main near 19th and serve breakfast daily until 11:30 on weekdays and until 3:00 p.m. on weekends.

The Naam

The oldest vegetarian restaurant in Vancouver, the Naam, excels in their dinner menu, and actually I prefer going to the Naam for dinner. I had the vegan banana pancakes and blueberry topping, but I found that it lacked the flavour and colour of their evening meals. I'm also including a bonus picture of the scrambled tofu that my friend had, which I have also tried before and subsequently bought a loaf of their caraway bread.

The Naam is in Kitsilano and serves brunch until 11:30 on weekdays and 1:00 on weekends.

North Vancouver...

I eagerly await the day that someone in North Vancouver will start offering some similar options to some of the above. If that day doesn't come soon, other than continuing to travel to Vancouver for brunch, I may just decide to do something about it myself!

There is a vegan brunch option in North Vancouver. Tommy's in Lynn Valley do a tofu scramble that is made vegan by dropping the pesto. It's not on a par with the options in the city, but if you need brunch and don't want to travel it does the job.

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Having been varying degrees of strict vegetarian since 1997 and now vegan, I am trained as a spa therapist, personal trainer, rehabilitation assistant, and work as a legal secretary. I have lived in North Vancouver since 2001.